RA FOR ALL...THE ROAD SHOW!

I can come to your library, book club meeting, or conference to talk about how to help your readers find their next good read. Click here for more information including RA for All's EDI Statement.

Ten Rules of Basic RA Service [Updated 4.19]

These rules are used in conjunction with my signature RA training program. Description:

RA for All: Readers Advisory belongs in every library, no matter its budget. The implementation of this vital service is the responsibility of every staff member-- from pages to directors, from those behind the scenes to the ones on the front lines. This program will remove the mystery behind providing great RA service. Using her “Ten Rules of Basic RA Service” as a guide, Becky Spratford will use your own love of your favorite books to show you how to help any patron find their next great read. It's not as hard as you think. But more importantly, you will learn why a staff that can harness the power of sharing a great read will become a stronger team and improve service to all patrons, especially the hardest to reach ones.

The 5 Resources You Cannot Live WithoutGoodReads: Plot summaries[don’t waste your time recording plot; it is right there for you], author pages, possible readalikes, but more importantly, customer comments! 5 star and 2 star reviews are the most helpful. 2 star reviews in particular will tip you off to limiters and glaring appeal issues. [FYI- 1 star reviews are generally too mean and petty to be useful]. Treat customer reviews as patrons. Post your 3 words for each book to preserve the major appeal factors. Also use as a platform to practice writing reviews and/or helping anonymous patrons.

Here is a post [by me] about how to use Goodreads during the RA Conversation to get more individualized results

NoveList: Many things you need all in one place. [Full disclosure-- I write for them.]*Book Riot:Categories for major genres/formats, lots of lists, trending genres covered, very responsive to changes in the tastes and media, required to have a certain percentage of “diverse” voices, conversational style that can be used to share titles with patrons immediatelyAll Readers.com: Although it is not a pretty site, no one else gives the frank sex and violence level information that their reviewers do.Gnooks:When you are desperate…distract them.For my list of my favorite genre specific resources, click here. And for a list of recent "own voices" titles for genre fiction, here is a link to a working list of diverse titles created by Anna Mickelsen and Alene Moroni.*If your library does not subscribe to NoveList, I suggest Fantastic Fiction as a replacement [although, talk to me about getting a free NoveList trial because it really is the best.]

Shelf Awareness Giveaway

Sites Worth Checking Out

About Me

I am a Librarian [MLIS] in Illinois specializing in serving leisure readers ages 13 and up. I train library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through their local public library. I am the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, 2d edition (ALA Editions, 2012). I am under contract to write content for EBSCO's NoveList database, reviews for Booklist, am a member of the Adult Reading Round Table Steering Committee, a 5 term Trustee for my local library, and am a proud member of The Horror Writers' Association. Check out the side bar for links to the groups and organizations with which I am affiliated.